Student Externship Program

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is currently accepting applications for the Summer Extern Program for offices under the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Externs will be placed in offices for 10-12 weeks beginning in June 2017. Students will participate in office specific projects including meet and greets, workshops, brown bag and other developmental program throughout the summer.  Applications will be accepted until Friday, January 20, 2017. Externships are unpaid. Room and accommodations are not provided. For details, including qualifications and how to apply see the USAJOBS website: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/459975900/.

The job title is “Unpaid Externship - Office of the Chief Information Officer”. The job announcement is A-2017-0009. The open period for applications is December 16, 2016 to January 20, 2017. For questions about these positions, contact Denise Absher at 571-272-0339. 

USPTO Fights Fraudulent Trademark Solicitations

The USPTO has worked hard to fight solicitations from companies fraudulently promising to protect trademarks, and we have taken a number of steps to help raise awareness of these schemes in an attempt to limit the number of victims defrauded. Our agency works closely with federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the United States Postal Inspection Service to combat the problem........

You can read the entire article on the USPTO Director's Forum

Texas Regional Office Events in January 2017

• Monday, January 9, 2016
  A Conversation on Claim Interpretation and 112(f)
  Dallas, TX
  Please join the Dallas Bar Association (DBA) in collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for A Conversation on Claim Interpretation and 112(f).
  
• Wednesday, January 18, 2016
  Meet the Trademark Experts
  Texas Regional Office
  Join us at the USPTO Texas Regional Office where we will be hosting an interactive Q&A session with the Trademark Experts.
  
• Thursday, January 19, 2016
  Meet the Patent Experts: Class 1
  Texas Regional Office
  The USPTO Texas Regional Office starting in 2017 will begin is 4-class curriculum on patents. Class 1 will be an overview of intellectual property with a focus on patents, EFS-Web and USPTO resources.
  
• Saturday, January 21, 2016
  Patents & Trademarks Workshop
  Corpus Christi, TX
  Have an idea? Then don’t miss this workshop where you can get free advice from registered patent and trademark attorneys and U.S. Patent & Trademark Office examiners who are volunteering their time to serve the community.
  

For any questions about upcoming events, please send e-mail to texasregionalUSPTOEvents@USPTO.GOV (link sends e-mail) or call (469) 295-9000.

Miscellaneous Changes to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Rules of Practice; Correction

Federal Register Volume 81, Number 238 (Monday, December 12, 2016), Pages 89382-89383.

Miscellaneous Changes to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Rules of Practice; Correction

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office published in the Federal Register on October 7, 2016 a final rule, which will become effective on January 14, 2017, revising the Rules of Practice before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. This document corrects errors in certain cross-references, clarifies the manner of testimony taken in a foreign country and the process in depositions upon written questions, and reincorporates the time frames for cross appeals and cross actions in that rule.

DATES: This rule is effective January 14, 2017, and applies to all proceedings pending on or after the effective date.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Butler, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, by email at TTABFRNotices@uspto.gov, or by telephone at (571) 272-4259.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-12-12/html/2016-29728.htm

Webinar -- The Different Types of Patent Applications

Are you an inventor looking to protect your idea but unsure of which application to file?  Then join us as we go over the differences between Utility and Design Patent applications and the advantages of filing a Provisional and/or Non Provisional Utility Patent Application. 

We will also go over the different forms, fees, and formalities required for the respective type of application. This interactive presentation will allow online users to send questions via the chat function to have them answered live!

Date and Time:
January 23, 2017 (Monday)
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
 
Location:
Webinar

Registration Link:  
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-different-types-of-patent-applications-tickets-29490635284

Patent Quality Conference, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016

A Patent Quality Conference will be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET at the USPTO Headquarters, Madison Auditorium in Alexandria VA.

The event is free and open to the public.  You can attend either in person or remotely via webcast.

Information on the event—including a link to register and the agenda—is available at the Patent Quality Conference page:

https://www..uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patent-quality-conference.html .

Notice of Roundtables and Extension of the Period of Comments on Examination Time Goals

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) previously announced information for roundtables in Alexandria, Virginia, and Dallas, Texas, to solicit public feedback as part of aneffort to reevaluate its examination time goals. Examination time goals vary by technology and represent the average amount of time that a patent examiner is expected to spend examining a patent application in a particular technology. The Office now is providing information on the additional three roundtables that the Office will be conducting in Detroit, Michigan; Denver, Colorado; and San Jose, California. In addition, the Office is extending the written comment period to ensure that all stakeholders have sufficient opportunity to submit comments on the reevaluation of the Office's examination time goals.

DATES: Written Comments Deadline: To be ensured of consideration, written comments must be received on or before January 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent by electronic mail addressed to ExternalExaminationTimeStudy@USPTO.gov. Comments also may be submitted by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop Comments--Patents, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, marked to the attention of Raul Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy.

    Although comments may be submitted by postal mail, the Office prefers to receive comments by electronic mail in order to facilitate posting on the USPTO's Internet Web site (http://www.uspto.gov). Electronic comments may be submitted in plain text, ADOBE portable document format, or MICROSOFT WORD[supreg] format.. Comments not submitted electronically should be submitted on paper in a format that facilitates digital scanning into ADOBE portable document format.

For more information: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-11-30/html/2016-28689.htm